Separatist?

Despite the Maori desire to maintain social harmony in his own way, he is continuously being assailed by ghetto-paranoia. We are all too familiar with the cry of some people to abolish Maori rugby teams as being separatist or even Maori representation in Parliament. In 1969 for instance the Education Department abolished Maori schools and handed them over to the Education Boards. The decision was taken in the interests of an integrated administrative system and out of fear of possible censure by United Nations for having a separate education provision for Maoris. It is doubtful that the decision was based on the best interests of the children and their community. In some districts in the North for instance, small schools in isolated areas have been closed and the children bussed to large central schools. They are the ones who have to cope with the fatigue of two and four hours travel a day.

The decision was a Pakeha one, arbitarily arrived at by Pakeha authorities without consulting the Maori people. This is one problem with ghetto paranoia, it can be rationalised on the basis of the ideal of social equality, of equality of opportunity. Yet we all know that there is nothing more inequal than making unequals equal. If any gains are to be made in Maori education then Pakeha authorities are going to have to learn to share their power with Maoris.

If Maoris want separate provision in education, the right to develop a parallel system where they think that their children can get a better deal than is provided at present in our State schools, then perhaps they deserve it as a minority right.